2014 River Watch

[iainiain101]

Well it looks like the 2014 rain season has got off to a flyer! What are the chances, I wont say 'odds' of a flood this year?

What has changed for those of us living near Mae Nam Ping since the last one in 2011?

1. New MooBans raising the land by more than a metre and changing the flood plains.

2. The river bank sides being increased especially in areas such as outside Rimping / Dukes and Padaed.

3. The new dam at Padaed. Its been nearly closed all year, decreasing flow and increasing sediment?

4. No dredging that I have seen.

5. The remnants of the foot bridge.

any other significant changes?

As always there is the river watch on http://hydro-1.net/08HYDRO/HD-06/HOURLY.html

And it is always good to hear the first hand updates from Gonzo.

Anyway, hope all of you in the likely areas have your insurance up to date, wouldn't like to have to rely on the government 5k hand-out!

Cheers

Iain

[CMHomeboy78]

We live near Wat Muang Guy and the Gymkhana Club.

Over the years we've had some bad flooding. The problem in our area could be solved by building a floodwall from about where the iron bridge is, to the Holiday Inn in Nong Hoi.

It's not rainfall that causes the flooding where we are, it's the Ping River overflowing its banks.

There was a contentious thread last year where several members challenged me on this and insisted that the problem was caused by the drainage system being flooded, and the Siriwattana housing development blocking runoff. I can remember flooding in Nong Hoi when Siriwattana was a ricefield and the drainage system in the talad area was ditches covered by old boards.

The river is the problem, and until a proper floodwall is built we are going to be flooded out every few years.

[daoyai]

the river is not the problem, building on a floodplane is.

[northernjohn]

We live near Wat Muang Guy and the Gymkhana Club.

Over the years we've had some bad flooding. The problem in our area could be solved by building a floodwall from about where the iron bridge is, to the Holiday Inn in Nong Hoi.

It's not rainfall that causes the flooding where we are, it's the Ping River overflowing its banks.

There was a contentious thread last year where several members challenged me on this and insisted that the problem was caused by the drainage system being flooded, and the Siriwattana housing development blocking runoff. I can remember flooding in Nong Hoi when Siriwattana was a ricefield and the drainage system in the talad area was ditches covered by old boards.

The river is the problem, and until a proper floodwall is built we are going to be flooded out every few years.

What you say is true in some areas. I was across the street from the ShangriLa in 2011 when it started and it was coming up from the drainage system in that area.

I recall talking with Dave at Dukes and he was afraid it would flood him there so he had sand bags ready. They now have a nice flood Wall there. He didn't seem to concerned with it flooding the River Market area. I guess that is why he raised it up a couple of feet. Defiantly the east side is lower than the west side in some areas. In other areas the west side is also low and prone to flooding.

[ThaiWx]

" As always there is the river watch on http://hydro-1.net/0...-06/HOURLY.html "

There's also the CCTV at Nawarat bridge http://hydro-1.net/08HYDRO/HD-06/CCTV-P1.html

It will be interesting to see how and if that new dam at PaDaed is operated when needed.

Edited July 27, 2014 by ThaiWx

[eyecatcher]

The pa daed flood barrier has been closed all years for two reasons.

Firstly there had been no significant rainfall and secondly they have been working hard every day piling a new flood defence wall another 4m higher on the east side..

That wall now runs from the barrier to the highway bridge.

At pa daed there is the outflow of water carried from the canal road so the flood barrier position and controlling of is critical to the protection of the area south, albeit not high population relatively.

The main problem as others indicated are sub standard sewers, simply too small to carry the flash flooding that occurs.

I particularly remember the manhole lids in the university area half a dozen with a two foot fountain coming out of each one.

[ataloss]

Immediately following the serious flooding some years ago by the MaePing of much of the Night Bazaar and surrounding areas, the government encouraged dredging of the river from well north of and to within city limits. I lived on the banks of the river then, near Le Crystal restaurant on Patan.

Many locals bought large trucks and either purchased or jerry-rigged flat-bottomed barges to dredge the river bed, excavating 'mountains' of sand which they sold. Thus not a government expense, and a worthwhile 'make-work' effort.

This went on for months but ground to a halt for whatever reasons - mafia-take, excessive percentages paid to the city when sand was onward sold to construction companies,...whatever. The sand was of fine quality, ideal for the building trades, with almost unlimited supply were they to move further north towards Mae Rim. Continuous dredging should have been, and still ought to be couraged for obvious reasons, but sadly now non-existent.

[heybruce]

the river is not the problem, building on a floodplane is.

That's true. There's a reason why the old city was built a safe distance from the river.

[khwaibah]

2005..

Edited July 30, 2014 by khwaibah

[worgeordie]

My water gauge is a small river at the rear of our house,so far

this year it has not risen at all,even after that rain we have had

recently.its a good meter lower that the gate,then there are 10

steps up to the garden,in the past it may get nearly to top step,

only once in 20 odd years did it come over the top.

Last year it only came over 2 steps,unless it REALLY starts to

rain,I think water shortage is going to be a problem,as I can

imagine the dams are not filling either,combine this with the

increase in population,I can tell this by number of cars on the

roads,and all the building that is going on,if the rains do not

come,better make sure your water tanks are full and pumps

working.

regards Worgeordie

[MESmith]

Cycling around 3 reservoirs east of San Kamphaeng today. Water levels VERY LOW.

Anyone been up to Mae Kuang dam?

[iainiain101]

Quietest year for the river I have seen. I am hoping this thread is dead now, but I do remember floods second week of October 2005.

Gonzo, being near the river, I am guessing the water hardly ventured into your grounds this year. Is that a first?

[Konini]

Odd to read about the dredging; there has been a full size digger on a raft working away backwards and forwards past Rimping Condo. It's actually been quite amusing to watch him dredging, then using the bucket like a skilled gondolier master with an oar, digging into the sediment to get enough traction to force the raft to move around, and it's comical in a War of The Worlds way when he's using the bucket like a walking stick to move quickly forwards. (This brought to mind a very odd mid-teen experience involving a carrier bag full of mushrooms freshly picked from special corner of the pit top field, Jeff Wayne's magnificent War of The Worlds really loud in the headphones and a 3 legged Aquavac barrel-type vacuum cleaner in the corner walking towards me )

(I think I'm getting flashbacks. That Aquavac was incredibly scary, but I think it wanted to be my friend for some reason and it was very and ungainly and heaving and clumsily making it's way towards me. And space ship sized).

[dave2]

re

Odd to read about the dredging; there has been a full size digger on a raft working away backwards and forwards past Rimping Condo. It's actually been quite amusing to watch him dredging, then using the bucket like a skilled gondolier master with an oar

here ya go

it used to park up for the night almost opposite gonzos place in november 10 !

now ?

dave2

ps ... if i get time ill dig up some september or october river levels for the last few years ... but this year its way down !

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Maybe we can rename the topic "2014 Lake Watch". Because that's what it looks like.

Hope they will move some extra water through for Loy Krathong, or else that'll be challenging.